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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Summer Occupations

Busy weeks are better weeks.

I have a weekly routine to dine and wine with my two best friends here at home. Two weeks ago, we made stir-fry; last week was zucchini and potato pancakes (below); yesterday was chili. Kristen and Caitlan work full-time, so I'm always thankful to catch up with them and kick back. And laugh our asses off or commiserate about all the bizarre things going on in town.

Then, on Friday I rode with Eric, a classmate, Ruckus Bus teammate, and good friend from the Finger Lakes, six hours east on I-90 and the on Massachusetts Pike to the suburbs of Boston. We crashed at another teammate's house then reunited with the rest of the Ruckus Bus on Saturday morning for a tournament in Keene, New Hampshire. I actually didn't take many photos of the day because my phone battery was zapped from all the Google Mapping, but it was a glorious weekend for ultimate frisbee!

We actually had enough St. Lawrence-affiliated people to field two teams: Varsity and JV Quarters (yes, in reference to the drinking game--!). The tournament is hosted by the Keene State alumni though there were many high school teams. They were pretty ridiculous to play; they have athleticism, but their knowledge of the game, immaturity, and 17-year old egos were something to combat. The sun was relentless and us four ladies basically marked boys for the day, though our loss in the quarterfinals was by a close margin. Man, I've missed hustling around yelling, "Here we gooo, BUS!" That was the most frisbee (and movement) I've played in over a month, so needless to say, my body did not react kindly.

After our other team, JV Quarters, won the tournament and the $300 pot, we split into groups going separate ways. That was hard. Initially it just felt like the end of a tournament, and then we'd all head back to school, loaf and campus, and return to class Monday sore but pleased... so yeah, that's sad this isn't the case anymore. It'll become easier with time.

As for me, I headed to Zach's family house on Mononomac Lake near the NH/MA border. The lake is small, but the properties around it are breathtaking. His family graciously offered hot showers and waited to eat dinner, which was steak with chive-horseradish butter, asparagus, pasta salad, and beer and wine. They also let me sleep on the second-floor master bedroom with the balcony, which meant a rousing 5 AM wake-up for the sunrise and subsequent risings every hour after that, but I am not complaining!

The lake house was a perfect way to unwind after playing. It was another dreamy weekend. I know I'm always pronouncing my love for the Ruckus Bus, but I've played with a few different groups now, and there's nothing like them (us). I loved how Zach explained it to his aunt, when she inquired why and how we all knew each other: "It's because St. Lawrence is in the middle of nowhere, so we all become weirdly obsessed with each other." It's true; we'll go hours out of the way, dish hundreds of dollars, and wreck our bodies for the sake of the sport and camaraderie.

Since I was away Saturday night, I missed dinner with my siblings. Luckily I was back for actual Father's Day and my mom saved a few lobsters and grilled shrimp. Hats off to this old (ha!) man who I couldn't love more. Despite my stubbornness (which I learned from him, no?), he has always tried to provide me the best opportunities and advice. I hope everyone had time to appreciate the father figures in their lives!

Listening: "The D Bag Rag" by the Avett Brothers off of A Carolina Jubilee (2003)